2003- According to critic Northrop Frye, “Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divisive lightning.” Select a novel or play in which a tragic figure functions as an instrument of the suffering of others. Then write an essay in which you explain how the suffering brought upon others by that figure contributes to the tragic vision of the work as a whole.

Caroline, Lauren, KarelI. Intro

A. Thesis: Disregard for others and lust for power spurs Edmund to dismantle his familial hierarchy and implement suffering on those around him, reinforcing that one’s motives do not justify selfish actions.

II. Goneril/ReganA. Topic Sentence: Goneril and Regan, already corrupted and drunk with power, are

overtaken by Edmund’s influence and destroy each other attempting to win his affections.B. Edmund manipulates the sisters and makes it obvious that they are competing for his

affectionsa. Alienates Goneril‘s husband, the Duke of Albanyb. “O Goneril, You are not worth the dust which the rude wind blows in your face”

(act 4, sc 2).C. Kill each other competing for him.D. Evidence: “Safer than trust too far”- Goneril, “Let me still take away the harms I fear,

Nor fear still to be taken. I know his heart. What he hath uttered I have writ my sister.” -Goneril

III. EdgarA. Topic Sentence: As a bastard son, Edmund feels judgment’s oppression and helpless

underneath Edgar’s golden status as a future heir.B. Convinces Gloucester that Edgar is plotting against him which results in Edgar’s exile as

Poor Tom, suffering as a mad peasantC. Edgar loses his relationship with a father and is only reunited once Gloucester has been

crippled and cast outD. Killed by Edgar as retribution for his attempts to remove Edgar from the line of powerE. Evidence:

IV. GloucesterA. Topic Sentence: Bitter towards the mocking Gloucester, Edmund seeks to create seeds of

doubt and destroy any happiness he may have found with his legitimate son.B. Edmund is a constant reminder of Gloucester’s infidelity and is generally symbolic of

Gloucester’s mistakes in life.C. Removes Gloucester from power and ruins his relationship with Edgar for some time

D. Evidence: “Away and let me die”- Gloucester when accompanied by the presence of Edmund

V. Cordelia A. Topic Sentence: Viewing Cordelia as an obstacle to his goals of acquiring power,

Edmund treats her life as expendable and inconsequential, knowing that by killing Cordelia, her death will severely impact the frail king.

B. Edmund plans and executes Cordelia’s murder. a. He knows that if he destroys Cordelia, he destroys King Lear

C. Causes suffering for King Lear as he loses the one daughter that truly loved him

2010-Palestinian American literary theorist and cultural critic Edward Said has written that “Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home: its essential sadness can never be surmounted.” Yet Said has also said that exile can become “a potent, even enriching” experience. Select a novel, play, or epic in which a character experiences such a rift and becomes cut off from “home,” whether that home is the character’s birthplace,

family, homeland, or other special place. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the character’s experience with exile is both alienating and enriching, and how this experience illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

Edgar!I. Thematic Statement: Edgar’s exile from home, prompted by Edmund’s betrayal, proves

to be both alienating and enriching.II. Important quotes to use:

A. “The lamentable change is from the best; The worst returns to laughter” - learns how fate can cause the great to fall and the lowly to rise

B. “When we our betters see bearing our woes, we scarcely think our miseries our foes [...] How light and portable my pain seems now when that which makes me bend makes the King bow!”

C. “A most poor man, made tame to Fortune’s blows [...] am pregnant to good pity.”D. “I know not how conceit may rob the treasury of life, when life itself yields to the

theft.”III. Topic Sentence: Betrayed by his brother, Edgar leaves his home, convinced his brother

and father believed him to have committed treason.A. Edgar becomes convinced that his father is angry at him, he leaves the castle.

1. Edmund betrays his brother Edgar by convincing their father that Edgar has committed treason

2. Edgar is betrayed by his brother and father. 3. The family bond is broken and Edgar lives alone.

IV. Topic Sentence: Despite his exile and the betrayal by his brother, Edgar becomes a better person after his alienation.

A. Edgar takes up living in a cave as the beggar, Old Tom1. Old Tom is wise and helps King Lear restake his claim to his castle 2. Edgar’s ability to see from outside allows his to prevent Gloucester’s

suicide

1982 Bulletin #2. “In many plays a character has a misconception of himself or his world. Destroying or perpetuating this illusion contributes to a central theme of the play.” Choose a play with a major character to whom this statement applies, and write an essay in which you consider the following: (1) What the character’s illusion is and how it differs from reality as presented in the play. (2) How the destruction or perpetuation of the illusion develops a theme of the play.

I. IntroA. King Lear’s hubris manifests into an illusion about the love from his daughters

and kingdom

II. Body Paragraph 1- illusionA. Regan and Goneril’s initial lies

1. They’re the best daughters because of what they saidB. Cordelia

1. She’s the worst daughter because of her lack of flatteryIII. Body Paragraph 2-reality

A. No longer king1. Only receives the respect of an old man, not the respect of a king

B. Regan and Goneril fake their love1. They’re the worst daughters2. Finessed King Lear3. Curses them for casting him out

C. Lear expresses regret for his treatment of Cordelia1. Sees the reality that she genuinely loves him

IV. (Body Paragraph 3)- Reconciled vs destroyed relationshipsA. He regrets what he’s done to Cordelia and mourns her deathB. He curses Regan and Goneril’s names in the storm

V. ConclusionsA. Failure to see the difference between honesty and deceit can destroy relationshipsB. Children who scorn their parents

2011In a novel by William Styron, a father tells his son that life “is a search for justice.” Choose a character from a novel or play who responds in some significant way to justice or injustice. Then write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the character’s understanding of justice, the degree to which the character’s search for justice is successful, and the significance of this search for the work as a whole.

I. Introduction: After being wrongfully banished by his father because of his brother’s conniving actions, Edgar

A. Relate to THEME: Greed/Power can triumph over familial bondsII. Body 1: Relationship

A. Gloucester said, “But I have a son . . some year elder than this, who yet is no dearer in my account.”

1. Edmund’s betrayal was not for love or attention, for greed/powerB. Edmund said, “A credulous father, and a brother noble, Whose nature is so far

from doing harms That he suspects none; on whose foolish honesty My practices ride easy. I see the business. Let me, if not by birth, have lands by wit.”

1. He is deceitful. Foreshadows issues and conflict.C. Edmund said, “Wherefore should I stand in the plague of custom, and permit The

curiosity of nations to deprive me For that I am some twelve or fourteen moonshines Lag of a brother?”

1. Foreshadows conflict. D. Edmund “Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land. Our father’s love is to the

bastard Edmund As to th’ legitimate.”1. Exhibits disloyalty to achieve his goals.

III. Body 2: Banishment and how Edgar understands/interprets itA. Edgar disguises as fool/madmanB. “This sword, this arm, and my best spirits are bent To prove upon thy heart,

whereto I speak, Thou liest.” (Edgar)C. “I am no less in blood than thou art” (Edgar)

1. Edgar is noble, and accepts Edmund as his brother.D. “Draw thy sword, That if my speech offend a noble heart, Thy arm may do thee

justice.” (Edgar)1. Willing to end injustice.

IV. Body 3: successful search for justice A. He inflicted pain on others and Edmund’s death at the hands of Edgar can be seen

as an appropriate punishment.V. Conclusion

A. Edgar’s desire for justice adulterated the relationship between him and his brother, resulting in the eventual death of Edmund.

Life is a metaphor

Prompt - The British novelist Fay Weldon offers this observation about happy endings: “The writers, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting response from readers are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral development. By a happy ending, I do not mean mere fortunate events—a marriage or a last-minute rescue from death—but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation, even with the self, even at death.” Choose a novel or play that has the kind of ending Weldon describes. In a well written essay, identify the “spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation” evident in the ending and explain its significance in the work as a whole.

I. IntroductionA. Brief background: Edmond talks about how he is a product of love, how he

should not be degraded.1. “ ‘Why bastard?’ Wherefore ‘base?’.. My mind is generous, my shape is

true.. Why brand they us with ‘base’ with ‘baseness’.2. Talks about how he should not be called a low life, he is a product of love.

B. Thesis: Although Edmund displays malicious behaviors throughout the play, he experiences a moment of moral insight at the end of his life to prove a change of heart.

II. Body Paragraph 1: giving background (more specific) on EdmundA. Edmund is evil and shows a malicious personality to his father, half-brother, Lear,

and others. 1. Edmund thinks he knows better than everyone, he thinks his brothers are

foolish and naive and therefore will get hurt.2. Edmund lies and fakes an attack by Edgar, to which Gloucester is

completely taken in, and disinherits Edgar. (Act II, Scene 1)III. Body Paragraph 2:

A. Conquest with Lear1. Captures cordelia and lear- contrast with end of life 2. Duel to end life- just wants to be loved

a) “Yet Edmund was beloved” (5.03.287)

Devon and Athul

Mercado 3A

King Lear Outline

14 March 2017

2001

One definition of madness is “mental delusion or the eccentric behavior arising from it.” But Emily Dickinson wrote: “Much madness is divinest Sense—/To a discerning Eye—” . . . Novelists and playwrights have often seen madness with a “discerning eye.” Select a novel or play in which a character’s apparent madness or irrational behavior plays an important role. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain what this delusion or eccentric

behavior consists of and how it might be judged reasonable. Explain the significance of the “madness to the work as a whole.

Thematic Statement: Familial injustice and greed within the Monarchy of England breeds characters towards hatred, turmoil, and self destruction.

Paragraph OneTopic Sentence: King Lear grows a delusional idea of continuing to hold his title of King, while assuming he will be able to distribute the responsibilities withheld under the appellation. Detail 1: King Lear converses with the Earl of Kent and Earl of Gloucester, trusted advisors, “that we have divided In three our kingdom.”Detail 2: Lear’s second delusional thought is accepting his daughter’s flattery in trade for power and land. Detail 3: “And here are to be answered. Tell me, my daughters [Goneril, Regan, Cordelia]...Which of you shall we say doth love us most…”

Paragraph TwoTopic Sentence: Following his first decision to divide the kingdom between his two daughters, King Lear slowly succumbs to his own insanity as his daughters begin to betray him. Detail 1: Due to his old age, King Lear decides it best to divide his kingdom with his three daughters, testing them by asking how much each of them loves him. Detail 2: While his first two daughters provide the correct amount of flattery, his youngest daughter Cordelia chooses not to indulge her father with “My heart into my mouth.” Detail 3: King Lear sees this as an act of defiance and chooses to banish Cordelia and give his land to his two eldest daughters. With this act, by banishing his daughter, King Lear slowly begins to slip into madness.

Paragraph Three

Topic Sentence: After initial signs of madness and irrational behavior, King Lear steps into further insanity after mistreatment from Regan and Goneril, foreshadowing self destruction. Detail 1: King Lear quarreled bitterly with his two daughters, Goneril and Regan. Both daughters offer their secure homes in trade for King Lear dismissing all of his knights, or at least most of them. Detail 2: By trading his loyal and noble knights for security and comfort under his daughters authority, King Lear would be succumbing to his both daughter’s authority and ultimately transitioning into a weaker man.Detail 3: During his heightened discussion with his daughters, King Lear becomes overwhelmed and steps out into the storm. The storm represents and magnifies the chaotic situation at hand. King Lear steps out into the storm, therefore stepping further into insanity and his inner turmoil.

Conclusion: King Lear’s madness is a direct result of the torment and hatred he suffers once he sacrifices Cordelia for the sake of Regan and Goneril. With this, Shakespeare is attempting to demonstrate how familial conflicts can instigate insanity, conflict, and inner turmoil.

2008- In a literary work, a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of the minor character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main character. Choose a novel or play in which a minor character serves as a foil to a main character. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the relation between the minor character and the major character illuminates the meaning of the work.

Outline: Gloucester and King Lear Foil I. Introduction

A. Thesis: In King Lear by William Shakespeare, Gloucester is a foil to King Lear by highlighting their shared foolishness after being corrupted by power and wealth.

II. Body 1A. Both are blind in some way

1. Gloucester is physically blinded by Cornwall for being loyal to Leara) “Sees” more clearly after he is blind = irony

(1) Realizes how Edmund tricked him2. Lear becomes blind due to his madness

a) Evidence: could not see Kent when he takes off his disguiseIII. Body 2

A. Don’t pick the good people1. Lear chose to give up his land based on flattery

a) Cordelia helps him while his other two daughters attempt to take away his power

2. Gloucester chooses to believe his son, Edmund, and disowns Edgar, the good son.

a) He is tricked into believing that his legitimate son wants to kill him for his land.

IV. Body 3A. Die in the end

1. Lear dies when Cordelia is lost to him2. Gloucester dies when Edmund is (metaphorically) brought back to life

V. ConclusionBoth of the fathers’ foolishness represents how they were decieved into believeing that

1990-Choose a novel or play that depicts a conflict between a parent (or a parent figure) and a son or daughter. Write an essay in which you analyze the sources of the conflict and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work.

Pair: Gloucester and EdgarLear and Cordelia

QUOTES- “... I am bound Upon a wheel of fire, that mine own tears Do scald like molten lead”

(Lear) [Lear is in the midst of his sickness and sees Cordelia as a spirit. This quote could support the idea that, like the wheel of fortune, at one point in life you can be at the top but there is also the possibility you will turn to the bottom in a short time. Much like King Lear spiralling further into madness. Also could represent the torture wheel and as a reference to suffering for past sins.]

- “Better I distract. . .Woes, by wrong imaginations, lose The knowledge of themselves” (Gloucester) [Doesn’t want to be haunted/reflect on his sorrow from being mislead]

- “ The King falls from bias of nature- there’s father against child. We have seen the bias of our time. Machinations, hollowness, treachery, and all ruinous disorders follow us disquietly to our graves” (Gloucester) [Saying it is inevitable that the father will fall to the son as they rise in life. These evils of the world plague and convolute relationships and have negative impacts on the order of nature.]

- “All thy other titles thou hast given away. That thou wast born with.” ()- “Now, by my life, old fools are babes again, and must be used with checks as flatteries,

when they are seen abused.” (Fool) - “Love cools, friendship falls off, brothers divide, in cities, mutinies, in countries, discord,

in palaces, treason, and the band cracked twixt son and father. The King falls from bias of nature:there’s son against father. The King falls from bias of nature: there’s father against child.” (Gloucester)

- “but therewithal the unruly waywardness that infirm and choleric years bring with them” (Goneril)

- “Let it be so. Thy truth then be thy dower. For by the sacred radiance of the sun, The mysteries of Hecate and the night, By all the operation of the orbs From whom we do

exist and cease to be- Here I disclaim all my paternal care, Propinquity, and property of blood. And as a stranger to my heart and me Hold thee from this for ever.” (Lear)

Introduction: In King Lear, a tragedy composed by William Shakespeare,

Thesis: The consuming desire to leave a legacy of glory can become the very madness that leads to the inevitable fall of man.

Paragraph 1: Gloucester and Edgar● Edmund forges a letter from Edgar which he later reads to Earl Gloucester, his father. ● Edmund devises a plan to further expose Edgar’s “disloyalty”● Edgar (disguised) leads Gloucester through the heath after he has been blinded. ● “Mistaking his purpose, it would make a great gap in your own honor and shake in pieces

the heart of his obedience…”● “Let me, if not by birth, have lands by wit. “(edmund)● Gloucester just wishes edgar was alive (he realizes his mistake)● Edgar reveals himself to his blind father● Gloucester dies, torn between grief and joy● Edgar kills Edmund in a duel● Wheel of fortune- Can be at the top and life is great, but a sudden event can cause the

wheel to turn and you can find yourself at the bottom where life is sucky, but it can turn again, returning you to your prosperity (edgar, edmund, and gloucester)

Paragraph 2: Lear and Cordelia● While Goneril and Regan put on a guise of deepest devotion, Cordelia refuses to profess

false, exaggerated lover for Lear. In response, she gets banished.● “Ingratitude thou marble-hearted fiend” (Lear) Although Cordelia has long been Lear’s

most devoted daughter, his ingratitude for her past devotion hardens his heart to real love. ● Goneril and Regan abuse and neglect Lear, dishonouring his knights and threatening him.

“Nothing can be made out of nothing” (Fool) Because their devotion was non-existent in the first place, Goneril and Regan are unable to measure up to Cordelia.

● “For when thou gav’st them the rod and put’st down thine own breeches” (Goneril)- Having given over his power(his rod) to Goneril and Regan, he is then neglected/abused by the very power he gave them and they take away any influence he still had.

● She tries to protect him once she returns● “Great abatement of kindness” (Knight)● She is hung and Lear dies of grief

Conclusion: Lear and Gloucester’s insane hunger for a glorious life ultimately brings poor judgement upon their children and manipulation upon themselves.

The relationships with their children display how a desire off a great legacy leads to poor judgment, affecting relationships with loved ones, outcasting those you love most.

- “Love cools, friendship falls off, brothers divide, in cities, mutinies, in countries, discord, in palaces, treason, and the band cracked twixt son and father. The King falls from bias of nature:there’s son against father. The King falls from bias of nature: there’s father against child.” (Gloucester)

- After seeing his only devoted daughter hung, Lear learns that “nothing can be made of nothing.” His desired a legacy that surpassed the capabilities of reality, thus sending himself into madness and disillusionment. No matter the amount of power or land Lear gave Goneril and Regan, he could never make their devotion into something authentic and real. There was nothing, so nothing could be made.